Atrocities Made to Order

May 29, 2012 - In the wake of the Houla massacre in Syria, and evidence exposing the West's initial narrative of Syrian troops "shelling to death" around 100 people to be categorically false, people are struggling to understand just what happened. The Guardian has chosen to post unverified witness accounts produced by the Free Syrian Army, seemingly custom tailored to refute evidence brought by Russia to the UN Security Council. The BBC has admitted that only "most" of the accounts they've received implicated what they "believe" were Syrian troops, or pro-government militias - and by doing so, imply that some did not and have told a different account.

As the window of opportunity closes for the West to exploit the bloodshed at Houla, the Western media is increasingly backpedaling, retracting, and being caught in a crossfire of their own lies and propagandizing. BBC was caught initially using years' old photos from Iraq for their Houla coverage, while papers and networks across the board have had to adjust their narratives entirely as each new piece of verified evidence emerges.

What is known is that Syrian troops were engaged with armed militants of the "Free Syrian Army" (FSA) in and around Houla. Syrian troops, as they have been doing throughout the conflict, were using artillery and tanks to target heavily fortified rebel positions from a distance. During or shortly after this exchange, militants began entering homes and killing families with knives and small arms fire. The FSA and Syrian opposition claim the militants were pro-government militias while the government claims they were foreign-backed Al Qaeda terrorists, known to be operating throughout the country. What they weren't, by all accounts, were Syrian troops.

A recent "editorial" out of the Globe and Mail claims that Russia's position that opposition forces were involved in the massacre is "laughable." However, this is divorced from not only reality, but also from a complete understanding of modern 4th generation warfare. From Venezuela to Thailand, Western backed opposition groups have triggered unrest and used it as cover to pick off members of their own movement, to then blame on the targeted government and compound any given conflict until a critical mass is reached, and a targeted government is toppled..

In April of 2010, Thaksin mobilized thousands of UDD members to paralyze Thailand's capital of Bangkok in retaliation to a court seizure of billions of his ill-gotten assets. On the night of April 10, 2010, when riot troops moved in to disperse the protesters, militants clad in black opened fire on Thai troops.

"As the army attempted to move on the
camp, they were confronted by well-armed men who fired M16 and AK-47
assault rifles at them, particularly at the Khok Wua intersection on
Rajdamnoen Road. They also fired grenades from M79s and threw M67 hand
grenades at the soldiers. News footage and videos taken by protesters
and tourists show several soldiers lying unconscious and bleeding on
the ground, as well as armed men operating with a high degree of
coordination and military skills."

HRW, an otherwise dubious organization, only conceded to this a full year after the events unfolded and only in the face of irrefutable photographic and video evidence captured and broadcasted by both professional and amateurs local and foreign journalists. This included videos and photos of militants armed with both AK-47's and M-16's. Previously, Thaksin's Western backers and his opposition leaders had tried to blame all deaths resulting from the M-16's 5.56mm rounds squarely on the Thai military, including the high-profile death of Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto. With proof that opposition militants were also firing 5.56mm rounds, this political leverage was negated. How to Gun-Down Your Own SupportersHowever, the most chilling aspect of the April 10, 2010 violence was an incident involving the premeditated murder of a pro-Thaksin protester by Thaksin's own
mercenaries - recorded on tape and extensively photographed, then
shamelessly and relentlessly used as propaganda to this very day. The
incident took place on April 10, 2010, the same night Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto was killed, and gives us immense insight into how
Western-backed unrest will take advantage of chaos it itself creates to then purposefully kill both protesters
and government troops to escalate tensions and violence while
undermining the legitimacy of a targeted government.

In a YouTube video (WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC)
recorded by Thaksin propagandists, protesters can be seen facing off
against troops to the left of the screen with other protesters seeking
cover as fire is exchanged between militants and troops. In the center
of the frame, a very conspicuous man is seen carrying a tall red flag
with his attention fixated on men directing him into position. He moves
in steps, almost as if posing for a picture with his attention focused
on the men directing him. Behind him, with his hat turned backwards,
appears to be a spotter shadowing the flagman's moves and flashing a
series of hand signals to the men on the left directing the flagman.

Images:
Frames taken from the video with annotations describe the events that
unfolded shortly before and directly after Thaksin mercenaries
intentionally killed one of their own protesters. The final image
eventually made it onto the cover of Thaksin propaganda magazine, "Voice
of Taksin." (click images to enlarge)

....

Men
in the upper left of the screen can be seen waving the flagman into
position as they tell other protesters to "get down" before a shot is
fired taking off the top of the man's skull. As protesters panic and run
off camera, the spotter moving with the flagman calmly stands above the
dead man and waves in a photographer who takes the infamous pictures
that would soon be featured on the cover of Thaksin's propaganda
publication, the "Voice of Taksin." It must be remembered that the video
camera was fixated on this otherwise insignificant flagman the entire time leading up to the gruesome event, to specifically
capture the entire, premeditated murder.

Image:
A censored version of the very explicit "special" cover of Thaksin
propaganda magazine, "Voice of Taksin," featuring a man killed not even a
minute ago. The flag he was conspicuously waving just moments before
lays across his chest and was most likely handed to him to aid mercenary
snipers in targeting him. The original cover with translations can be found here.
(WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC.) The editor of "Voice of Taksin" has since
been arrested and imprisoned for his role in the 2010 violence -
however Western "human rights" fronts including US-funded Prachatai
maintain that he is a "political prisoner" and a "human rights
activist." Note: on the bottom of the magazine cover a "free" CD is
offered featuring video of the gruesome staged murder of this
unfortunate man.

....

This horrific, cold-blooded demonstration of the callous, murderous
nature of these so-called "pro-democracy" movements sowing chaos from
Tunisia to Thailand, and certainly including Syria, illustrates the full depths of depravity from which
the global elite and their proxies operate. Behind the thin veneer of
revolutionary "singing tomorrows" is a heartless, craven killing machine
as eager to dispose of its most adamant supporters as it is inclined to
eliminate its most reviled opponents. What was just described has played out not
only repeatedly in Thailand, but all across North Africa and the Middle
East as well as during previous attempts by the West to oust Hugo Chavez
in Venezuela.

Back to Syria

The Free Syrian Army has been regularly engaging in armed combat with government troops and now more than ever, are better equipped with communication equipment, weapons, cash and logistical support from the West and the Gulf States. Just as Thaksin's gunmen were able to draw Thai troops into a conflict used as cover to commit manufactured atrocities to be used as propaganda against the Thai government, militants in Syria have already demonstrably employed similar tactics. In 2011, "mystery gunmen" would regularly start firefights during protest rallies identical to the one in Bangkok, firing on both Syrian troops and protesters, with both sides describing elusive "rooftop snipers."

Houla appears to simply be on a much larger scale, involving militants most likely not affiliated with local FSA fighters or the Syrian government, but foreign elements just as the Syrian government has claimed. Just as in Bangkok where protesters were taken as much by surprise as Thai troops at the arrival of Thaksin's militants, FSA fighters, Houla residents, and Syrian troops all seem baffled as to who exactly committed the atrocities.

And amongst all the finger pointing, it is the politically-motivated haste by the US, UK, France, Israel, and the Muslim Brotherhood to condemn the massacre, baselessly blame the Syrian government, and cry in unison for military intervention that is by far the most incriminating evidence yet as to who was really behind the bloodbath. Cui Bono? To whose benefit? NATO and its Middle Eastern proxies have made it abundantly clear it was to their benefit.

Clearly there is the distinct possibility that a third party took advantage of a prolonged engagement between the FSA and government troops in Houla, to manufacture a very real atrocity. With so few facts in hand, it would be the height of irresponsibility to lay blame on anyone so squarely that punitive actions are leveled. So while the Globe and Mail berates Russia for suggesting that "the blame must be determined objectively," it is by far, without debate, the most sensible course of action to take. If the West laments the distrust it now suffers, it has only itself, and its long history of running death squads in exactly this manner, to blame.